Election department urges cooperation for fair polls

Pondicherry, Mar 6: The Pondicherry election department today (Mar 6, 2006) urged all political parties to cooperate to ensure fair and peaceful polls in the Union Territory on May 3 and 8.

Adressing a press conference here, Pondicherry district election officer and district collector Theeva Neethi Das said he had chaired a meeting of the district standing committee today attended by representatives of seven national, state and recognised political parties participated.

They were explained in detail the model code of conduct of elections and its implications, he said.

Answering a question Mr Das said the election expenditure of each candidate would be accounted from the date of filing nominations.

Not only the ministers,but chairpersons of public sector undertakings should also not use official vehicles for election purpose. If they do so, the vehice would be seized and utilised for the service of the election department, he added.

Mr Das said the Eectronic Voting Machines(EVM) to be used in the Union Territory were presently being serviced at the Bharathidasan women's college here.

Asked about DMK convenor and former Chief Minister R V Janakiraman tresspassing into the election department office, he said the incident has been reported to he Election Commission of India.

On the complaint of mass deletion of voters from the list in some constituencies, Mr Das said this time photograph of voters will be affixed on the electoral roll. The photographs had been cross checked with the photo identity cards in each house before publishing the draft electoral roll, he added.

The draft roll was kept in the booths for 30 days for the voters to check whether their name and photograph appeared in the list.

UNI